Supporters of urban renewal project pan Taipei mayor

By Mo Yan-chih / Staff reporter

Thu, Jan 10, 2013 - Page 3

Residents who support the stalled Wenlin Yuan urban renewal project in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) yesterday slammed Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) for failing to provide solutions to the delay in construction and threatened to launch a protest on Saturday against the city’s inaction over the project.

Hau held a closed-door meeting with eight residents who participated in the project to address their concerns. In the one-hour meeting, the residents called on the city government to help speed up the construction project and allow them to move into their new homes.

Hau said the city government has no authority to take over the project.

“We want to know when construction on the project will begin and when we can go home. The mayor gave us no answers ... We are losing confidence in the city government’s ability to solve the dispute,” said Hsieh Chun-chiao (謝春嬌), director of a self-help association organized by households that support the project.

Construction of the apartments has been stalled since the city government dismantled two apartments owned by a family surnamed Wang (王) in March last year, sparking an ongoing protest by the Wang family and anti-urban renewal activists.

Thirty-six households that agreed to cooperate with the project have tried, but failed to negotiate with the Wang family.

The director of the Taipei City Government’s Urban Redevelopment Office, Lin Chung-chieh (林崇傑), said the project will not proceed until the Ministry of Justice gives a legal opinion on the ownership of the construction site.